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Sunday, June 5, 2016

The Sunday Salon: June 5, 2016

It's Sunday and summer is here. The docks are in, the boat is ready for cruising around the lake, and I'm almost done with the flowerpots. My plan was to finish them on Friday, but I ended up reading instead...

"A lush, raw, thrilling novel of the senses about a year in the life of a uniquely beguiling young woman, set in the wild, alluring world of a famous downtown New York restaurant."
I was just going to sample this last night, but ended up reading seventy-five pages. Can't wait to pick it up again tonight!

It's time to start another audiobook and I'm craving a classic. Thomas recently mentioned Prunella Scales as a favorite narrator, so I sampled her reading of Cranford and decided to go for it. It's also on my Classics Club list, which has been completely neglected in recent months. I loved North and South and have enjoyed Gaskell's short stories, plus this book is under seven hours!

On the blog//
There was definitely more reading than blogging last week. I only posted once:My Summer Reading List

In the kitchen//
I needed a quick and easy dinner Wednesday night, so tried a Chicken and Green Beans Stir-Fry from The Lemon Bowl. It's a keeper. I'll change up the vegetables and make it again soon... maybe water chestnuts, sliced carrots, and broccoli next time.

40 comments:

Jessica Fechtor (of Sweet Amandine)'s book Stir was wonderful - I think you'd enjoy it. I made that cake from the book, and I hope she starts blogging again. (PS Did you see the BBC(?) version of Cranford when it was on PBS? Definitely worth watching.)

Audrey - I borrowed Stir from the library shortly after you posted about it and thought the first chapter was wonderful! Unfortunately there were other holds so no renewals. I've been meaning to check it out again ever since.

I didn't watch Cranford when it was on because I wanted to read it first. The first two chapters are delightful!

Reading "The Baroness: The Search for Nica, the Rebellious Rothschild" by Hannah Rothschild. Very interesting inside-in depth view of the family Rothschild without having to read a big huge biography. I had seen a good review when it came out in 2012, and after reading "The Improbability of Love" by same author, I'm glad I decided to read The Baroness. Quite an eccentric family, to say the least. Will be interested in hearing if HR wins the big Women's Writer prize to be announced tomorrow (formerly known as the Orange Prize). I'll bet your cake was delish. Wonder what it would taste like made with pecans instead of almonds?

JudyMac - I've got The Improbability of Love on my list... haven't seen the winner announced yet, but I'll keep checking. The cake was wonderful! It would make a good butter cake with pecan topping, too... would leave out the almond extract in that case.

Ooooo. That looks delicious. I made a new recipe last night from Wegmans.com called Greek Turkey Burgers. They were very yummy. I need a few good ground turkey recipes. My husband even ate them and took one in his lunch today. Score!

Gotta love some Gaskell. I've been neglecting my classics list too. Just a few days ago I was looking over my list and counting my selections. mmmm Anyway, I'm starting Robinson Crusoe for my bookclub. That will be one I can cross off!

Heidi - I just looked up the turkey burger recipe and they sound delicious! Will give them a try here...Wegmans recipes never disappoint me.

Read the first two chapters of Cranford today and think it's going to be a delight. I've been curious about Robinson Crusoe since reading The Moonstone. The main character in that book made several references to it.

Vicki - Yes, reading over flowerpots was an easy decision. I'll get them done this week without fail! My family gets together for dinner every Sunday - my parents, and then any siblings that can make it. My sisters andI rotate hostess duties!

That Almond cake looks too good! I have to try it too! I've seen Sweetbitter around but I still don't know if it's something for me. So I am definitely looking for your review. It's good to know that it pulled you in right away!

I like the sound of Prunella Scales reading Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell - I recently read this on my own Classics Club list and found it utterly charming. I have now recorded the BBC's TV adaptation of it, starring Judi Dench, which I am really looking forward to watching.

In the last week, I have been reading The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris and the children's classic The Story of Amulet by Edith Nesbit.